The 3 Graduateers: My Boys | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

The 3 Graduateers: My Boys

Three graduations in one year really gets to ya.

46
The 3 Graduateers: My Boys
Edan Armas

This year I got a really good sense of how old I am.

Not only did I complete my freshman year of college, but three people in my immediate family graduated all within one week of each other. My dad finished his second Masters in Latino and Latin American Studies, my brother Alex graduated high school, and my little brother Max finished middle school. Like, I mean— dude. Slow the hell down.

It was a tough year, though. With the firstborn kid (moi) absent from a tightknit family dynamic and three people in the last years of their respective schools, there wasn’t a FaceTime call home that didn’t include a mention of the suffocating layer of stress infusing my household. The air, my family told me, was hard to breathe.

My dad was in the worst shape. He had taken on a second Masters purely on an intellectual whim, being the nerd he is, and had struggled for the past two years balancing the roles of fulltime student, fulltime college professor, and fulltime dad. Everyone said he was nuts, and, well, he was (is).

Alex was having a really tough time with college applications. Those damn apps affect us all, but to him in particular, they broke down how he thought of himself and he had a difficult time balancing his workload. As a result, he was always stressed and moody, and prone to arguments with the rest of the family.

My little brother was growing up. A teenager arising from the haze of pubescence is always a stressful endeavor for the entire family, and he was no exception. But more than that, he was trying to discover what type of person he wanted to be, and he shifted between social magnate and introverted nerd continuously.

But when I surprised them all on the night of Alex’s graduation, I saw in their tears how much they had overcome. My dad had graduated the week before and Max graduated the day after, but for each of them, their commencement ceremonies celebrated something more than a passing, something more than an academic achievement. Each of them had overcome personal obstacles and gotten their hearts through the storm of their minds. I cried for each of them, because there’s nothing like the pride you feel for your family members achieving greatness— those are the absolute best tears.


Visiting home for a week before going back to school, I can feel the shift in energy. Summer always brings good vibes, but with the three men in the house moving on to the next significant parts of their lives, all with diplomas under their belts, there’s something special in the air.

To my dad, Alex, and Max,

I love you guys. :)

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

669
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments